1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the determination of the extent of deposition of wax and/or corrosion in a pipeline, and particularly to a system for determining and imaging wax deposition and corrosion in a pipeline that uses a neutron source, neutron and/or gamma ray detectors, and backscatter diffusion collimation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Paraffin and asphalt deposition in crude oil transport is a very costly problem in oil industry. The accumulation of wax on the inner surface of pipes reduces flow and may cause a blockage in a pipeline that may stop oil production. Prediction of deposit thickness is very difficult due to the complex compositions of crude oil. At or below the Wax Appearance Temperature (WAT), hydrocarbon molecules crystallize and precipitate as solids. Hydrocarbons with more than 20 carbon atoms become solid at room temperature. Deposition is also a function of system pressure, composition and pipe inner surface properties. Wax deposition in pipelines can be very costly for plant operation in the oil industry. New techniques are needed for allocation and thickness determination of wax deposits. The timely removal of wax can produce large savings in the plant's operational cost.
Thus, systems for determining and imaging wax deposition and simultaneous corrosion and wax deposit determination in pipelines solving the aforementioned problems is desired.